Wire-chain-link-forming mechanism.



A. BERG. WIRE CHAIN LINK FORMI NG MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED MAYB,19I6- Patented Oct. 23, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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lllllllllllfl A, BERG. WIRE CHAIN LINK FORMING MECHANISM.

. APPLICATION FILED MAY 8'; 1916. 1,244,448.

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Specification of Letters Patent. Patented 00$. 23, 1917.

Application filed May 8, 1918. Serial No. 96,060.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known thatl, ANDREW BERG, citizen or" the United States,residing at Bridgeport, in the countyof F airfield and Stateof Connecticut, have invented certain, new and useful Improvements. in Wire-chainrLink- Forming Mechanismpand I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the. invention such, as will enable others skilled in the art towhich it appertains to make and usethesame.

My invention relates to improved tools for forming wire chain links, and it consists in certain details of construction to be fully described and particularly pointed out. in the claims. v 7

Referring to the drawings wherein most of the operating tools are shownbroken,

Figure 1 represents the initial bending tools in their normal inoperative position,

rolls; 26-27 adapted to engage properly and a broken section of wire and upper plan view of the anvil or mandrel about which links are formed; p V v Fig. 2 represents the firststep in forming the link, showingthe wire forcedand held against the largen part of themandrel by the gripping tool; Fig.8 represents the initial bending tools advanced and forming the, initial bend; Y Fig. 4: represents; the initial bending tools retreated totheir;normal position and the side scrolling tools advanced-to complete the link about the smallerendofathe mandrel; Figrois a detail end elevation of thelink tormingface of ,one of the side link scrolling tools- 1 m F 6 is a' brokenzdetail-side elevation of one of the side scrollingtoo1s; I

Fig. 7 is a detailviewof theinsidefface of one of the initial bendingjtools; Fig. 8 is-a. detail broken sideelevation of w r ppin oo Fig. 9 .is a brokenzdetail view, of themside face of the mandrelgiand Fig.1Oisa detail View. of the upper and smaller part OLE the 'ma'n'drel, .and; broken a view of thegrippingtool showing, the position of an unfinished the a b 1 11 is a reduced plan view ofthe' machine .for. operating the several tools, :and brokenview of one of the shafts. H

7 link preparatory to Fig. 12 is a frontelevation of themachine,

broken view of the machine legs,; and sectionalview of one ofthe shafts;

cap under which tools 1, Qand. 3 freely and cam grooves l-1- 42.

Fig. 13 is a broken 'sectionof the machine bed showing a bracket attached thereto on which is mounted the link carrier and its operative tools;

Fig. 14 is a detail view of one of the operative cams and mechanism connecting the same with the mandrel; and. o

. Fig. l5 is a broken detail view of the link carrierholding a completed link in vertical POSlillOIl to receive an uncompleted link.

The mechanical meansfor supporting and actuating the tools above described, consists of the bed. 17 on which are mounted the standard 18 supporting the driving shaft 19 carrying the driving pulley 20, and cams 21, 22, The wire gripping tool 1 carries the roll 24 which is kept. in constantengageformed cam groovesnot shown in the outer vertical faces of the cams 2123 for reciprocating said tools. 28 is an overlying operate. 7

Bevel gears 2930, on the driving shaft,

1 mesh with bevel gears 31-32 carried by the shafts 3334, journaled in. the brackets 3536. These shafts carry the cams 3738 for actuating the scrollingtoolse and 5 through the medium of their -rolls 39l0 v These scrolling tools are guided in the boxes 4344. I g

The objectof the present invention is to.- torm a link adapted for any practical use,

. andlwhile, certain well known mechanismis shown for actuating the several link forming tools, it will be understood jthatother suitable and well known means could bQSllb';

stituted therefor. If the several link units are to beconnected together to form a chain,

the bracket 45, Fig; 1 3, can be attachedgto the fronti of the machine bed, on which is o mounted the box 46 forsupportingtheeggs 100 tension ofshaft 34. f l? is a cam mounted on this shaft for reciprocating the rack bar ,48

throughthemediuin of roll l9 operating in a properly formed cam gro.ovenot shoWn din the-vertical face of saidcam. The link 105 carrier 50 is. operatively mounted in boxes 5l.52 and is provided with thetoothed por-' tion 53 with Which the rack bares engages. 5i is a clutchcollar on the link carrier 50 ,for reciprocating the carrier to and from the: 110

bending tools.

mandrel 9 through the medium of thelever and the cam 56 on shaft 3%.

" '57, Fig; l i, is a vertical lever carrying roll 57 operating in the cam groove 58, located in the inner face of the cam 21. The lever 57 is pivoted to the horizontal lever 59,

which, in turn, is pivoted on the pin 60 and carries at its outer end the toothed segment 61 meshing with the rack teeth 62 of the mandrel 9 whereby said mandrel is vertically operated.

The linkcarrier is advanced, Fig. 13, to embrace a formed link by means of lever and retreat a short distance when it is turned by the rack bar l8 to bring the link into vertical position, Big. 15, in readiness to receive the partially formed link lease the link carried therebyJ It will be observed that a link is partially formed outside of a previously formed link and threaded into such previously formed link by means of the side scrolling tools. It will also be observed that the smaller diameter of the mandrel does not determine the shape of the link, as that is determined by the initial bendin tool and the scrollin tools.

Therefore, this smaller diameter is in no sense aformer, but simply furnishes a support or backing for the partially formed link and gripping tool after the mandrel has "retreated and until'after the scrolling tools have taken hold.

The several operative tools comprising the gripping tool 1, initial bending tools 2 and 3, sidescrolling tools l and 5, are parts of a machine and are actuated by well known The wire 6 is des1own-tothe 1nechanisin;not shown. li eed from a reel-not The wire first passes through a hole in the guide 7', permanently attached to the machine, and is partially embraced by the .g 8 Fi 8, fthe gripping tool 1 with the free end of the wire advanced far enough to be engaged by the initial bending tools 2"an'd 3yas shown in Fig. 1. I

The first operation consists 'in advancing the gripping tool 1 to bring the wire firmly against the largediam'eter 9 of the mandrel as shown 111 Fig. 2, then both bending tools are advanced to bend the ends of the severed wire sections 6 about the large part of the mandrel as shown in Fig. 3. The outer face of the bending; tool 2 registers with the inner face of the guide 7 to sever a link section of wire whenthe initial bending tools "small portion 14:. of the mandrel.

link to the link 16.

embrace the entire link,

eena is are advanced. The wire contact faces of these initial bending tools are provided with the grooye's 10 and 11.

As soon as the initial bending tools have performed their work, they are retreated to their normal position as shown in Fig. 1, while the gripping tool 1 still remains in its advanced position to hold the partially formed link in place for the next and final scrolling operation performed by the side tools l and 5, shown Fig. 4. These" side scrolling tools'arepro ided with the semicircular grooves Hand 13 to engage the partially curved ends of the link section, which ends will follow around the curred grooves in the ends of the side scrolling tools to give the proper form to the completed link. Previous to the side scrolling tools engaging the'slightly curred ends of the partially formed link, theman'drel is 'Ver'ically retreated to bring the smaller diameter 1e thereof in position for these side scrolling tools to complete the form or" the link about this smaller part of the mandrel. Thesemicircula-r grooves 12' and 13 are shaped to conform to the ends of the completed link.

The most important feature in the link forming ODQ-IELUOH are these SGD11-C1T1111T grooves 12 and 13. In fact, the suceessof the final bend depends entirely on these grooves. After the initial bending tools and the mandrel' have retreated the unfinished blank 6 will then be held firmly against the The up per ends ofthe semi-circular grooves of the side scrolling tools will first engage the slightly curved. ends of the link blank, and the inward'pressure of said tools willcause the wire to follow these curved grooyesto form the link about the small part :ofthe mandrel as shown in Fig. 4. These grooyes prevent the slightest'deviation of the ends ofthe wire blank from the path they must follow in order to form a perfect abutting .alinernent with each other. *As usual, each link, except the first link, is linked to the previously formed link as shown; As shown in Fig. i, the newly formed link 6 is linked to the previously formed link 15, and this The narrow projection 1 ofithe gripping tool 1 enables the side scrolling tools to have sufficient inward travel to" practically The lower curved part of the small anvil 14 could be cutaway asshownata, Fig. 10, for it is the scrolling" tools alone that impart the finished shape to the link.

Having thus described my in ention,what I claim V 1. The herein described mechanism fo'r forming chain links comprising a vertically mo ableinandrel of two diameters about which'th'e links are formed, a guide for the wire, a movable gripping tool adapted to force the; end of the wire, projecting from the guide, firmly against the larger diameter of the mandrel, movable initial bending tools on each side of the gripping tool adapted to sever a link section and form an initial bend in the end of the link section about a part of the larger diameter of the mandrel, final scrolling tools operating at right angles to the initial bending tools and having semi-circular grooves in their ends adapted to engage the ends of the partially formed link and form a completedlink about the smaller diameter of the mandrel when the larger part of the mandrel and the initial bending tools have been retreated.

2. The herein described mechanism for forming chain linkscomprising a movable mandrel about which links areiformed, a wire gripping tool adapted to hold the Wire againstthe mandrel until a link section is severedand'hold such severed section against the mandrel during the link forming period, initial bending tools located onv each side of the gripping tool and having grooves in their inner faces conforming to the initial bend, and final scrolling tools having grooves in their ends conforming to the ends of a completed link.

3. The herein described mechanism for forming chain links comprising a movable mandrel having two diameters, bending tools having grooves in their Wire contact faces, said tools adapted to give the initial bend to the wire about a portion of the l. Mechanism for forming chain links from Wire comprising a mandrel, a gripping tool adapted to force and hold the end of r the Wire against the mandrel before a link section is severed therefrom, bending tools for severing a link section and giving the initial bend thereto about the mandrel, scrolling tools for completing the linkand interlocking the same With a previously formed link, and means for holding said previously formed link during such interlocking process.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

ANDREW BERG.

Witnesses: v

GHRrsTY NELSON, Gnoncn N. SEARS.

Copies of thisipate nt may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

